A fellow reader matched me up with Kristin Harmel's work, and I blew through two of her novels this month. It's not a perfect book—I'll be surprised if you don't guess how the love triangle resolves by page 3—but it's very good. Harmel's writing about love, family, and relationships draws you right in to the story, and then compels you to step back and examine your own life. A whole lot of MMD readers are going to love this one.

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I enjoyed Pavone’s first novel The Expats (a review of sorts is here) but his second is even better. In this fast-paced thriller where publishing meets true crime, the action begins when a rookie author’s book proposal hits an agent’s desk. For reasons I don’t want to reveal to anyone who hasn’t read it, this would make an excellent book club novel. More info →

I've had this one on my reading list for forever, and now that I've read it I'm sorry I waited so long! Not only is it immensely practical and helpful, but it's a lot of fun to read. Recommended reading for anyone who writes, professional or otherwise, and required reading for all grammar geeks. More info →

Sarah (age 9) snatched this up from our library's holiday display table, and we just finished reading it together. She loved it, and I loved reading it with her. Now she wants to go back to the beginning and read the whole series. (Don't tell: she's getting the box set for Christmas.) She's writing copycat fiction in the meantime.

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I ordered this immediately after hearing the author speak last April, and spent the next six months staring at it on my bookshelf, afraid to begin. I worried it would be really depressing, but the preface put my mind at ease. (The first line: "I wrote this book because I believe the news about Alzheimer's is more hopeful than what we hear on the street.")

A book about Alzheimer's, but also about mothers and daughters, understanding your past, and the power of memory. Poignant and powerful.

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My kids fell in love with this thanks to B. J. Novak's reading on Youtube. This not-quite-picture book is completely ridiculous in the best possible way. Prepare yourself to read this over and over and over again over holiday break. I don't think you'll mind (too much).

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